New era of Microsoft in digital music.docx

Unit42 SEATTLE Music fans have often viewed Microsoft as something like a bad cover band, one that pumped out uninviting facsimiles of Apples iPod and iTunes with its Zune music players and service. Now that the Zune brand is dead, Microsoft is once again in search of a hit in digital music. But this time, to improve its odds of success, it is marshaling some of its most powerful brands as never before: Windows and the Xbox.On Monday, the company plans to announce a service called Xbox Music that will offer access to a global catalog of about 30 million songs. The service will let consumers listen free to any song on computers and tablets running the latest version of its Windows software, as well as on the Xbox console. Microsoft will not initially limit how much music can be streamed, though that could change over time. The service is part of a broad set of bets Microsoft is making this fall to help regain ground it has lost to competitors, especially Apple and Google. In addition to Windows 8, a major new version of its flagship operating system that will start shipping Oct. 26, the company is close to releasing a new version of its Windows Phone operating system for mobile phones and its first Microsoft-designed computer, a tablet device called Surface.In an aggressive push to persuade lots of people to use the service, Microsoft will package the software for Xbox Music with Windows 8. The arrangement could awaken antitrust concerns about Microsofts use of Windows to gain toeholds in new markets. Microsofts do-over in the market is a sign of how a strong music service has come to be seen as a prerequisite for any serious player in the gadget business. Apple first showed the way with that strategy by making it simple to buy songs from the iTunes Store, helping it sell more iPods. Google and Amazon have also gotten in on the act, adding music stores to their Android and Kindle devices. In addition to competing with those big companies, Xbox Music is entering a landscape thick with independent music services that offer their own variations on the listening experience. Spotify, for example, provides on-demand listening to a large library of music, while Pandora programs radio stations tailored to its listeners individual tastes.Scott Porter, principal program manager for Xbox Music, said many music fans today relied on a variety of services like those, along with more traditional sellers of songs like iTunes, to satisfy all their musical needs. This approach, though, can be tedious. “The dilemma is that music has become work,” he said. “Our vision for Xbox Music is that it shouldnt have to be work.” Xbox Music incorporates elements of all of those services. There is an option to buy songs, so a music fan can own them permanently with minimal restrictions. There are Pandora-like radio stations built around songs and similar-sounding music.注（1）：本文選自The New York Times注（2）：本文習(xí)題模仿對(duì)象:本文習(xí)題的1, 2, 3, 4模仿2010年真題Test 2的4, 2, 3, 5題，5模仿2011年真題Text 1的第5題。1. From the first paragraph, we can learn that D .A Music fans do not like Microsoft any longer.B Zune was substituted by other service.C Windows and the Xbox are Microsofts most powerful brands.D Microsoft plans to regain success in digital music with its powerful brands.2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text? A .A The service provides consumers with songs on computers, tablets and Xbox console with no charge. B Microsoft wont restrict the amount of the music download as the time went by.C Microsoft is sure that the service can beat Apple and Google.D Windows 8 and its Windows Phone and its first Microsoft-designed computer will release simultaneously.3. The word “toehold” (Line3, paragraph 3) most probably means C .A insistenceB supportCsuccessD patience4. Which of the following would be the topic of the text? D.A Microsoft introduces its powerful service: Windows and Xbox.B Microsoft turns to Window and Xbox instead of its traditional style.C Microsofts Zune service was obsolete.D By virtue of the Windows and Xbox, Microsoft attempts to win victory in music field.5. From the text we can see that the writer seems D .A positiveBnegativeCdoubtfulDobjective詞匯注釋facsimile fksml n. 傳真機(jī)；復(fù)寫(xiě) marshal m()l v.排列console knsl n.控制臺(tái)，操縱臺(tái) flagship flgpn.旗艦，佼佼者antitrust nttrst adj.反壟斷的 kindle knd()l v.點(diǎn)火，點(diǎn)燃toehold thld n.小立足點(diǎn) prerequisite prirekwzt n.先決條件gadget gdt n.小配件 incorporate nkpret v.合并，包含難句突破In addition to Windows 8, a major new version of its flagship operating system that will start shipping Oct. 26, the company is close to releasing a new version of its Windows Phone operating system for mobile phones and its first Microsoft-designed computer, a tablet device called Surface.主體句式 In addition to Windows 8, the company is releasing Windows Phone and computer。結(jié)構(gòu)分析 這個(gè)長(zhǎng)句看上去結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜，主要是因?yàn)槠渲杏泻芏嗟男揎棾煞郑ㄇ爸枚ㄕZ(yǔ)和后置定語(yǔ)），a major new version of是對(duì)Windows 8進(jìn)行補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明，其中這里面包含一個(gè)定語(yǔ)從句，進(jìn)一步補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明其發(fā)售時(shí)間，而后面是由and連接的兩個(gè)并列句，介紹Windows系統(tǒng)移動(dòng)電話和平板電腦屆時(shí)也會(huì)發(fā)售。句子譯文 除了即將在10月26號(hào)發(fā)售的新一代操作系統(tǒng)Windows8，屆時(shí)，一款專門(mén)為手機(jī)用戶研發(fā)的Windows移動(dòng)電話操作系統(tǒng)和微軟自主研發(fā)的平板電腦Surface，也將于10月26號(hào)前后推出。題目分析1. D 推理題。文章中Now that the Zune brand is dead, Microsoft is once again in search of a hit in digital music. But this time, to improve its odds of success, it is marshaling some of its most powerful brands as never before: Windows and the Xbox. 由此可見(jiàn)，微軟是想重振雄風(fēng)。A，B和C選項(xiàng)陳述的都是客觀事實(shí)，D選項(xiàng)是在這三個(gè)事實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)上推斷而來(lái)，即推出Microsoft這一計(jì)劃。2. A 細(xì)節(jié)題。原文對(duì)應(yīng)信息是The service will let consumers listen free to any song on computers and tablets running the latest version of its Windows software, as well as on the Xbox console. 這項(xiàng)服務(wù)器能讓用戶免費(fèi)聽(tīng)電腦或微軟控制臺(tái)上的任何歌曲。其他選項(xiàng)與原文意思不符。B和D選項(xiàng)的意思與文章原文相反，C選項(xiàng)意義模糊，不能肯定，皆與題意不符。3. C 語(yǔ)義題。Toehold本身拆開(kāi)來(lái)時(shí)toe和hold,字面意思是腳趾頭站立，譯意是站得住腳，有可供腳站的地方。 由The arrangement could awaken antitrust concerns about Microsofts use of Windows to gain toeholds in new markets.得知，這項(xiàng)安排將打擊反壟斷控訴，為了在新市場(chǎng)中贏得toeholds。根據(jù)常識(shí)可知贏得的一般都是積極方面，好的方面，而且全文一直說(shuō)的是微軟想贏得新的勝利。因此toehold有成功的意思。4. D推斷題。縱觀全篇文章，主要是介紹微軟為了大數(shù)字音樂(lè)領(lǐng)域大出風(fēng)頭，決定用自身強(qiáng)有力的品牌Windows和Xbox來(lái)增加其勝算的籌碼。A，B和C選項(xiàng)皆是文章中的一個(gè)事實(shí)，不能以偏概全就作為文章的主題。5. D 情感態(tài)度題。本文作者自始至終都以非常客觀的角度介紹“微軟計(jì)劃”在數(shù)字音樂(lè)領(lǐng)域大出風(fēng)頭。沒(méi)有加入個(gè)人的觀點(diǎn)，即使是對(duì)該計(jì)劃一些成果的表述也不是作者自己的看法，而是引用事實(shí)或他人的評(píng)價(jià)。篇章剖析 本文是一篇說(shuō)明文，主要講述了微軟利用Windows和Xbox想在數(shù)字音樂(lè)領(lǐng)域重振雄風(fēng)。第一段主要講了為了洗刷微軟在以往歷史中借用Zune的劣跡，微軟前所未有的將采用Windows 和Xbox. 第二段詳細(xì)介紹了Xbox這個(gè)音樂(lè)軟件的作用和便利性。第三段接著講述了微軟把Xbox預(yù)裝到Window系統(tǒng)里，強(qiáng)調(diào)擁有強(qiáng)大音樂(lè)服務(wù)器的重要性。第四段通過(guò)與傳統(tǒng)聽(tīng)歌模式的對(duì)比，更加突出Xbox這一軟件的高端性，強(qiáng)調(diào)Xbox做的更加面面俱到。參考譯文音樂(lè)迷們通常會(huì)把微軟看作是一個(gè)糟透了的翻唱樂(lè)隊(duì)，它自身的音樂(lè)播放器和服務(wù)器“Zune”一直都在模仿Apple系統(tǒng)里ipod和iTunes軟件?，F(xiàn)如今，“Zune”品牌已不復(fù)存在，但是微軟還想在數(shù)字音樂(lè)領(lǐng)域大出風(fēng)頭。但是這次，為了增加勝算，它集結(jié)了自身幾個(gè)最具影響力的品牌：Windows和Xbox。這種情況在以前還從未有過(guò)。周一，公司計(jì)劃公布一種新的音樂(lè)播放工具，名為Xbox音樂(lè)，這個(gè)工具能為用戶提供來(lái)自全球約3000萬(wàn)首歌曲。只要用戶的電腦或掌上設(shè)備或Xbox的操控面板上